Study record
Increased expression of the mitochondrial derived peptide, MOTS-c, in skeletal muscle of healthy aging men is associated with myofiber composition
D'Souza RF, Woodhead JST, Hedges CP et al. · Aging (Albany NY) · 2020
Human obs.Endogenous MOTS-c measuredEvidence tier B
What this study reported
In healthy men, circulating MOTS-c was lower with age, while middle-aged and older men had about 1.5-fold higher skeletal muscle MOTS-c expression than young men. Muscle MOTS-c was associated with slow-type muscle markers and, in older men, with muscle quality, and was not associated with ARE-related gene expression.
Limitations
Men only; cross-sectional design; group sizes not reported in the abstract.
Study record
| Study model | Human observational |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | Endogenous MOTS-c measuredNaturally occurring MOTS-c was measured; nothing was given. |
| Species | human |
| System studied | Plasma and skeletal muscle of healthy young, middle-aged and older men |
| Population | healthy young (18-30 y), middle-aged (45-55 y) and older (70-81 y) men |
| Design | Cross-sectional age-group comparison |
| Sample size as reported | Not reported |
| Control group | young men |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | plasma MOTS-c; skeletal muscle MOTS-c expression; myofiber type markers; muscle quality (leg-press load relative to thigh area); ARE-related gene expression |
| Pathways measured | NRF2 / antioxidant response |
| Research areas | Aging · Skeletal muscle |
| Evidence tier | B — Other human study |
| Publication types | Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Appraisal
Each dimension is recorded separately and never combined into a single score. A study can be well controlled and still tell you little about people.
- Relevance to MOTS-c
- Direct
- Model applicability
- Human
- Sample size
- Not reported
- Controls
- Appropriate
- Outcome validity
- Validated biomarker
- Support for its own conclusion
- Moderate
Provenance
- Bibliographic fields retrieved from PubMed E-utilities efetch (title, journal, date, authors, DOI) on 2026-11-11.
- Annotated from the published abstract.
- Editorial review: approved (2026-11-11).
- Classification follows the site methodology; the record describes the study, not what MOTS-c does in people.